Tag Archives: IAGTO

Golf Courses and resorts, Golf Shows, Golf Turism, Travel

IAGTO – The RTJ Golf Trail hits in Sweet Home Alabama for its 16th North America Golf Tourism Convention (NAC)

July 3, 2025 – More than 300 delegates from 33 countries took Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail to the Deep South city of Birmingham to attend the 16th annual North America Golf Tourism Convention (NAC).

Owned and operated by IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), the event saw 70% of the participating golf tour operators and golf travel advisors coming from North America and Latin America, with the remainder travelling from Europe, Australia and Asia.

“It was an absolute pleasure to welcome IAGTO and its global members to Birmingham,” said Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau’s President & CEO, Dan Williams. “It was such a fun and energising week, and we were proud to showcase our city, our golf and our Southern hospitality.

“We hope everyone enjoyed their time here as much as we enjoyed hosting them, and we look forward to welcoming all of our new friends back to Birmingham soon.”

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton commented: “Birmingham was the perfect venue for the NAC because it lies at the heart of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, which spans the state of Alabama with some 22 amazing golf courses.

“We were also able to showcase much of the state from Mobile in the south to Huntsville and Muscle Shoals in the north on pre- and post-convention trips for dozens of tour operators – many of whom had never previously visited Alabama.

“But the city of Birmingham delivered everything that we could have asked of it, with great restaurants all nearby and fantastic meeting venues. We were lucky enough to stage our Welcome Reception at the Protective Stadium, an impressive, multi-sport venue, and the Farewell Dinner at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which has to be one of the most spectacular car and motorcycle marvels of the 21st century!”

NAC included two days of meetings between the golf tourism industry’s buyers and suppliers, and two rounds of golf at RTJ Golf Trail’s Oxmoor Valley and Ross Bridge courses, both of which are just minutes from the city centre.

“We have been telling the story of golf in Sweet Home Alabama over the past few years at previous NACs, emphasising our theme of “this is Alabama”. Now we have been able to have IAGTO members truly experience what that looks, feels, tastes and sounds like… from our great food and variety of music to our one-of-a-kind attractions and the one-and-only original golf trail of world-class RTJ golf courses. We are so proud to have hosted everyone,” beamed Kerry Teague, Golf Marketing Director of the Alabama Tourism Department.

While Birmingham is often referred to as the “Dinner Table of the South”, it also has a vibrant cultural pedigree and live music was scheduled throughout the event. The stand-out moment was a gospel choir performance by Allen Pruitt Jr and the Called to Worship Ensemble to launch the Opening Address. Other functions were accompanied by blues, soul, classical and rock musicians from the neighbourhood.

Summing up the overall experience, Peter Walton added: “That was the most fun we have had while also showing up for our day job and putting Birmingham Alabama on the golf tourism map for the international market, while reinforcing its position as an unbeatable southern golf destination for the domestic market.

“The RTJ Golf Trail, many other courses and the hotel and hospitality industry in Alabama and beyond will all reap the rewards of NAC 2025 over the coming 18 months.”

Golf Shows, Golf Turism

IAGTO – Gran Canaria and the Costa del Sol light up the spectacular 25th IAGTO Golf Tourism Awards

May 26, 2025 – Gran Canaria’s towering Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse formed the stunning backdrop to the 25th Awards ceremony staged by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators in front of more than 800 IAGTO members.

The honours were led by Gran Canaria and the Costa del Sol, with golf resorts, golf courses, hotels and destination management companies in England, France, Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Spain’s Mallorca and Sotogrande also recognised.

Gran Canaria was honoured for its Outstanding Contribution to Golf Tourism for hosting the third IAGTO European Convention (IEC) and for facilitating the largest and most productive gathering of IAGTO members to date.

Costa del Sol in Spain’s autonomous Andalucia region was voted Golf Destination of the Year by IAGTO’s golf tour operators, who are responsible for more than 90% of international golf vacation packages sold worldwide.

The IAGTO Awards ceremony was the climax of an open-air gala dinner for IEC delegates in the impressive setting of the Plaza del Faro Maspalomas and followed a dazzling audio-visual light show beamed onto the 56-metre-tall lighthouse.

Presenting the Awards, IAGTO’s Chief Executive, Peter Walton, said: “For 25 years we have been platforming those destinations, golf resorts, golf courses, hotels and golf tourism suppliers that have delivered the best experience for visiting golf travellers over the past 12 months, as voted for by the world’s leading golf tour operators. 

“We only issue a handful of Awards each year, which lends added weight to the value of this accolade for all recipients.”

The winners for the European section of the IAGTO Awards are:

Golf Destination of the Year

  • COSTA DEL SOL

Golf Resorts of the Year

  • ARABELLA GOLF RESORT MALLORCA, SPAIN
  • CARDEN PARK, ENGLAND
  • EVIAN RESORT, FRANCE
  • SO/SOTOGRANDE SPA & GOLF RESORT HOTEL, SPAIN

Golf Course of the Year

  • CULLINAN LINKS GOLF CLUB, TURKEY

DMCs (Destination Management Companies) of the Year

  • GOLF AROUND ITALY, ITALY
  • INGOLF TOUR OPERATOR, PORTUGAL

Hotel of the Year

  • THE KILLARNEY PARK, IRELAND

Outstanding Contribution to Golf Tourism

  • GRAN CANARIA
  • SALOBRE HOTEL RESORT & SERENITY
  • SALOBRE GOLF
  • LOPESAN HOTELS GRAN CANARIA
  • MELONERAS GOLF BY LOPESAN
  • ANFI GOLF BY LOPESAN
  • MASPALOMAS GOLF
  • REAL CLUB DE GOLF DE LAS PALMAS

Agustin Manrique, President of the Gran Canaria Golf Association, said: “We set bold goals. We work together – public and private sectors – to become a benchmark in the tourism industry and we’ve always aimed to be one of the top golf destinations in Europe. We do it to make visitors happy. To surprise them. To make sure they never forget us. And we do it all with love and deep commitment to our island, our landscapes, our people and our future.”

From Costa del Sol, Francisco Salado, President of Málaga Provincial Council, said: “This recognition is a great honour for the Costa del Sol and reflects the commitment and dedication of everyone who works to deliver an exceptional experience to golfers from around the world. We are proud to be a leading golf destination and remain committed to continuous improvement and innovation in order to maintain our position as one of the top golf destinations in Europe. We would also like to thank all the golfers, professionals, and organisations who have contributed to our success.

This award is a testament to the passion and hard work of our community to provide an unforgettable golf experience.”

Bernat Llobera, Director of Golf of Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca, said: “We are deeply honoured to be recognised by IAGTO and its global network of golf tour operators. This award is a testament to the hard work of our entire team and our unwavering commitment to excellence across all aspects of the guest journey. At Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca, we take great pride in being Your Mediterranean Home for Golf — a destination where championship golf, luxury hospitality and unforgettable experiences come together in one exceptional location.”

Stéphane Menou, General Manager of SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort Hotel, said: “We’re honoured that SO/ Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort Hotel has been recognised by IAGTO’s global network of golf tour operators as one of Europe’s Top Golf Resorts for 2025. This award reflects the outstanding service delivered by our team and the distinct lifestyle Sotogrande offers, where world-class golf, wellness and understated luxury unite. Our resort not only boasts superb golf facilities, but also offers bespoke golf packages with access to iconic courses including Real Club Valderrama, Real Club Sotogrande, and La Reserva Club – a dream for any golfer.”

Golf Shows, Golf Turism, Travel

IAGTO – Launch of the three global golf tourism sales conventions, in Vietnam, Spain and US for 2025

October 7, 2024 – Danang, Gran Canaria and Alabama will be the venues for IAGTO’s three global golf tourism sales conventions in 2025, with all three events simultaneously launched this week.

The conventions in 2025 are:

  • 11th Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) in Danang, Vietnam, from 2-4 April, 2025

  • 3rd IAGTO European Convention (IEC) in Gran Canaria, Spain, from 19-21 May, 2025

  • 16th North America Golf Tourism Convention (NAC) in Birmingham, Alabama, from 17-19 June, 2025

Established in 1997, IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) is the global trade organization of the golf tourism industry with over 2,200 member companies in 92 countries, including 668 golf tour operators in 68 countries, responsible for more than 90% of all golf vacation packages sold worldwide.

IAGTO’s Chief Executive, Peter Walton, said: “We are proud to run the most productive, affordable and enjoyable golf tourism sales conventions in our industry, catering to every golf destination and every outbound market.

“Each of our three events focuses on the destinations in that region, attracting domestic and international golf tour operators specifically selling those destinations. Acting primarily as the industry’s membership association enables us to keep participation costs down to a minimum, while also ensuring that every interaction between buyers and suppliers is valuable.”

Walton added: “Appointments are only scheduled where buyers and suppliers agree to meet each other. That may sound obvious, but it has become a cornerstone of the success of all IAGTO events. As an example, the 780 delegates who attended this year’s IEC chalked up an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 for overall satisfaction – which we expect is close to the summit for any travel trade event.

“In the same survey, 97% of supplier delegates responded that they had meetings that would definitely lead to new business and, overall, 43% of meetings held were with potential new clients.”

Convention registration has been open to IAGTO tour operator and supplier members for two weeks and already more than 600 delegates have signed up across all three events.

Aligned to this announcement, IAGTO is launching a campaign to sign up new member companies and organizations from around the world of golf travel, including golf resorts, hotels, golf courses, DMCs, golf tour operators and golf travel advisors.

Golf Shows, Golf Turism, Travel

IAGTO – The European Convention hits the sweet spot in Marbella and returns to the Costa del Sol next year

April 28, 2023 – The golf tourism industry celebrated its much-anticipated inaugural IAGTO European Convention (IEC) this week in Marbella, Costa del Sol in typical Andalucian style.

Organised by global golf tourism organization IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) for the benefit of its member companies, the three-day event was attended by 634 delegates from 46 countries, making it IAGTO’s largest and most successful event to date.

At the Opening Address it was announced that, due to overwhelming demand, IEC would return to Andalucía next year from 13-15 May 2024 and take place in the city of Málaga, the gateway to the Costa del Golf, where attendance is expected to exceed 800.

Sitting alongside IAGTO’s Americas Convention (NAC) and Asia Convention (AGTC), IEC completes a trio of annual IAGTO events that span the globe. IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton said: “Our 2,500 member companies now have the opportunity to attend whichever conventions are most beneficial to them, at an affordable cost, in the knowledge that the business conducted and relationships established will deliver dividends every single time.

“For example, here at our first IEC, 50% of the buyer delegates are from the top 22% highest performing golf tour operators in their region.”

During the event, 8,300 meetings were pre-scheduled between buyers and suppliers over two full days, and further networking was facilitated through the IEC Golf Tournament played over three courses (La Quinta, Rio Real and Santa Clara golf clubs), five hotel receptions, a Feria Andaluza themed Welcome Reception for all delegates and the traditional IAGTO-style Farewell Fiesta.

Speaking about what it takes to create practically useful meeting environments, Peter Walton said: “What underpins everything we do is the close relationship we have with our members throughout the year. We understand how the golf tourism industry is evolving and what the priorities are for individual companies at any given time. Our events are simply a reaction to this, and they too change and evolve every year.

“We also have incredibly good working relationships with over 100 tourism boards. To bring an event of this size, and to enable it to return, requires a tremendous amount of support and commitment from partner institutions. For IEC 2023 we had three superb anchor sponsors – the tourist boards of Andalucía and Costa del Sol along with the Marbella Town Hall, in addition to event-function sponsors including the Royal Andalucian Golf Federation.”

Delegates were welcomed by officials from the host destinations.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports of Andalucía, Victor González told them: “Andalucia’s relationship with IAGTO, given the relevance of the destination in the field of golf travel, is close, fruitful, long-lasting and I would almost dare to say historic. This event is equally noteworthy as an example of public-private collaboration between the institutions and organizations involved, that we all work in the same direction to promote the development of an essential activity for the region.”

Marbella Mayor Angeles Muñoz said: “We are convinced that this event will not only have a significant impact on our promotion as a golf destination but, together with the forthcoming Solheim Cup, will be a great boost for our Marbella brand.”

Renee Kachler, Director of Business Development for the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, said: “With over 70 golf courses distributed across the Costa del Golf, making up 67% of the golf courses in Andalucía, the Costa del Sol is one of the most important golf destinations in the world. Golf is therefore very important to us. It is a segment that has a significant economic impact on the destination, not only golf clubs but also hotels, restaurants and service companies.”

And Pablo Mansilla, President of the Royal Andalucian Golf Federation, said: “Revenue of 2,200 million euros every year result from golf related activities in Andalucía, with more than 50,000 people employed directly and indirectly with golf.

“That’s mainly because of you,” he told delegates. “It’s mainly because you keep sending visitors to Andalucía.”

The IAGTO European Convention (IEC) 2024 will take place from 13-15 May in Málaga.

Golf Courses and resorts, Golf Turism

IAGTO – The Covid-19 Recovery Hub, open to all golf courses and golf resorts worldwide

June 23, 2020 – In a major step designed to give maximum support to the entire golf tourism industry, the Covid-19 Recovery Hub created by IAGTO (The Global Golf Tourism Organization) for its 2700 member companies is being made accessible, from today, to all golf courses and golf resorts worldwide that receive golf visitors, along with all hotels currently working with IAGTO golf tour operators.

The Recovery Hub includes an Operational Status webpage that enables golf courses and hotels to upload and then regularly update their reopening schedule, current operational status and Covid-19 safety measures. Over 700 IAGTO-member golf tour operators in 62 countries receive a Daily Update notifying them of changes made to the site in the past 24 hours. Most importantly this means that there is now one global central resource for the golf tourism industry to keep track of the changes that are being implemented in golf destinations worldwide literally every hour, avoiding time-consuming administration and communication.

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton said: “We made the decision to extend this essential service beyond our membership in order to ensure that every golf destination on the planet now has a mechanism to keep golf tour operators informed of the precise operational conditions in place at every golf course in their region. Access to our Recovery Hub site is now entirely free of charge to non- member golf courses and golf resorts.”

Peter Walton added: “In our role as the global trade association of the golf tourism industry, our entire focus since March has been to provide guidance and create tools that will ensure that our tourism sector is the best prepared for the recovery from this unprecedented crisis.”

The Operational Status section of the Recovery Hub focuses on five aspects of golf course and hotel operation:

  • Current status and conditions of current visitor access
  • Date and details for reopening or next phase of reopening/increasing visitor access
  • Compliance with local government standards and regulations relating to Covid-19
  • Details of Covid-19 safety measures currently in place
  • Covid-19 safety certification

To gain access to the Covid-19 Recovery Hub, golf courses and golf resorts that are not currently members of IAGTO must first register, which is entirely free of charge, by going to:

https://www.iagto.com/iagtolite


 

Golf Courses and resorts, Golf Turism, Travel

IAGTO – Quality Assured Certification scheme for golf courses worldwide, announced

October 15, 2019 – To mark the occasion of reaching 1,000 golf club and golf resort members across 80 countries, IAGTO is announcing two new programmes at IGTM this week to help golf courses worldwide attract more golf travellers.

IAGTO Quality Assured Certification

Having carried out more than 200 golf tourism audits at golf courses worldwide over the past two decades, IAGTO is unveiling its Quality Assured Certification programme at IGTM this week.

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton explained: “Over 22 years we have been assessing how individual golf courses are positioned to best attract first time golf visitors, and we have now consolidated this knowledge into a Quality Assurance scheme designed to certify golf courses delivering the best possible experience to visiting golf travellers, and to provide a plan for golf courses that wish to attain that status.”

The certification programme is open to all golf courses and has two elements – an online Golf Tourism Audit, and an IAGTO site inspection. Any golf course that does not achieve certification is provided with a step-by-step roadmap to achieve QA Certification status.

IAGTO Golf Tourism Accreditation

At the same time, IAGTO is launching the first ever Golf Tourism Accreditation programme for golf course managers. Peter Walton said: “It is important to recognise the professional golf tourism experience and expertise of individuals working in golf tourism, and golf course managers have the biggest impact not only on the experience of golf visitors but also on the working relationship with domestic and international golf tour operators. Now with more than 1,000 golf club and golf resort members in 80 countries we are confident that IAGTO Golf Tourism Accreditation will quickly become the recognised industry standard for individual excellence.”

To qualify for Golf Tourism Accreditation, managers must:

  • demonstrate a proven track record of working successfully with golf tour operators or DMCs
  • have a good grasp of visitor segmentation at their own golf course, and
  • show that their course is managed in a way that delivers the best possible golf experience to the visiting golf traveller

IAGTO’s Peter Walton added: “There will also be Distinctions awarded to golf course managers who have made a really significant impact on either the visitor experience or business practices directly related to working with golf tour operators. 

“This is an incredibly important project for us, and we aim to expand our QA and Individual Accreditation programs to other sectors of the golf tourism industry over the next couple of years.”

Golf Courses and resorts, Golf Turism, Travel

IAGTO – Celebration about reaching 1,000 golf facility members

October 15, 2019 – Twenty-two years on since its foundation in 1997, IAGTO is this week celebrating the landmark of reaching 1,000 golf club and golf resort members, which between them have 1,321 18-hole equivalent golf courses open to international golf visitors.

The 1,000th golf facility member was Dumbarnie Links in Scotland which joined IAGTO on 14 October 2019. This wonderful new links course, designed by Clive Clark, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth nine miles from St Andrews, will open in May 2020 but has already begun working with and taking bookings from IAGTO golf tour operators.

IAGTO has a total of 2,711 member companies and organisations in 101 countries, including golf tour operators, hotels, tourist boards, inbound operators, transportation companies and airlines as well as golf clubs and golf resorts.

To mark the occasion, IAGTO has launched two new programmes to help golf courses worldwide attract more golf travellers: IAGTO Quality Assured Certification for golf courses and IAGTO Golf Tourism Accreditation for golf course managers.

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton said: “It’s a very significant landmark moment for us to have 1,000 golf facilities across 80 countries, from Argentina to Azerbaijan and from Northern Ireland to New Zealand, all actively working with IAGTO’s 700-plus golf tour operators. As we watched this milestone approach, we began working on two new services for our golf course members that will really help them attract more golf visitors. Our Quality Assured certification scheme deals with the quality and positioning of the golf course, while our Golf Tourism accreditation programme recognises those individuals who make sure that their golf course delivers the best possible experience to golf visitors.”

Looking to the future, Peter Walton added: “For us the focus of our every day is to develop and deliver new services that help our members do more business with less hassle. This encompasses everything from producing tools to help improve quality of product to providing valuable market information that facilitates better decisions, sooner, and at a lower cost”. 

“From a golf course membership perspective we have already achieved what we call ‘critical mass’ in some 25 countries, where 80% or more of export-ready (tourism friendly) courses are IAGTO members, and our goal is to achieve this across every golf destination worldwide.”

Golf Courses and resorts, Golf Turism, Travel

Assoufid Golf Club – Voted ‘Africa’s Best New Golf Course of 2014’

Assoufif-Golf-Club-1

December 12, 2014 –Situated close to the vibrant ‘Red City’ of Marrakech, Assoufid Golf Clubhas been voted ‘Africa’s Best New Golf Course 2014’, at the inaugural World Golf Awards.

This distinction arrived just a fortnight after the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), announced Marrakech as the ‘2015 Golf Destination of the Year for Africa and Gulf States’.

Assoufid Golf Club is set against the backdrop of North Africa’s snow-capped Atlas Mountains, and is a desert-style par-72 golf course, complete with a luxury golf clubhouse and international-standard dining. The course is a debut design for Scottish PGA professional and former European Tour player, Niall Cameron, and officially opened for play on 1st of October, 2014. The eco-friendly course was meticulously designed to be integrated into the existing landscape and to encourage the site’s indigenous flora and fauna to thrive, whilst minimizing water consumption.

Guy-Maxwell-receiving-award

Guy Maxwell, Golf Director at Assoufid Golf Club, said: “Winning a World Golf Award so soon after opening underlines the positive impact Assoufid Golf Club is already having in the North Africa and European golf markets.” 

“Our objective is to provide the finest golfing experience by delivering a beautifully maintained golf course and exceptional levels of service, whilst protecting the integrity of the indigenous natural landscape. It is our hope that Assoufid Golf Club continues to be critically acclaimed as a ‘must-visit’ destination.”

Morocco is among the fastest growing golf destinations in the EMEA region and has set itself the target of having over 40 golf courses throughout the country by 2020, thanks to concerted efforts of both the public and private sectors, under the leadership of His Royal Highness, Prince Moulay Rachid.

Chris Frost, Managing Director, World Golf Awards, said: “We congratulate Assoufid Golf Club for setting a new standard for golf in Marrakech and helping to enhance Morocco’s reputation as one of the most exciting, rapidly emerging, must-visit golf destinations for golfers.”

Assoufid-Golf-Club-2

Assoufid Golf Club forms part of an exquisite 222-hectare development, to include a hospitality component and residences, and offers golfers an excitingly diverse challenge across a rolling desert landscape featuring cacti, palm and olive trees.

The development is situated just 20-minutes from the old town (medina) of Marrakech – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and a 10-minute drive from the international airport.

More information about Assoufid Golf Club, visiting www.assoufid.com.

Golf Shows, Golf Turism, Travel

IGTM – IAGTO unveils Golf Tourism Strategy Blueprint

IAGTO-Plan-Estratégico-Turismo-de-Golf-1

November 3, 2014 – At the opening address of the 17th International Golf Travel Market, Peter Walton, Chief Executive of IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), stressed the need for both regional and national tourist boards to implement integrated golf tourism promotional and development strategies.

After announcing that 2014 marks the third year of significant and consecutive growth in golf tour operator sales worldwide, Walton went on to stress that this was the time when all golf destinations needed to put in place properly funded golf tourism strategies.

Peter Walton said: “In the good times, virtually any destination or well-run golf resort can achieve growth in sales, but what the implementation of a well-planned, destination-wide strategy does is to lay down solid foundations that help secure sustainable growth in the face of an uncertain future. In the 70s, 80s and 90s, the relative popularity of tourism destinations was often discussed as being cyclical; whereas since the turn of the new millennium these somewhat predictable cycles seem to have been replaced by more unpredictable irregular futures where the outcome for any destination is subject to a much greater variety of frequently occurring external events and vagaries.”

Walton went on to say: “The responsibility for instigating such a golf tourism strategy lies firmly at the door of the relevant tourist board or ministry of tourism. However, at a time when public sector bodies are overstretched and often cash-poor, a golf tourism strategy should not be seen as either onerous or costly.”

“Quite the opposite, in fact… it is precisely because tourist boards are under so much pressure to deliver a ‘return on investment’ that they must avoid lurching from one golf-related event or promotion to another without having first engaged with the private sector to develop an underlying plan. The strategy or roadmap then effectively helps a destination determine whether or not any particular activity is appropriate, timely and cost effective.”

In order to assist its member golf destinations and to illustrate how all the different elements of such a roadmap fit together, IAGTO has published an Integrated Golf Tourism Strategy Blueprint diagram with 10-step explanation below.

IAGTO-Integrated-Golf-Tourism-Strategy-Blueprint

The concept of the Blueprint is based on the unparalleled experience that IAGTO has gained from developing golf tourism strategies for more than 30 countries and regions across the globe over the past 12 years. In 2014 IAGTO has been assisting in the development and implementation of golf tourism strategies for the following destinations: Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Morocco, Jakarta, Malaysia y Thailand.

In the past, IAGTO has developed the strategies for Mauritius, Kenya, Brazil, Belgium, Tunisia, Egypt, Iceland, Sweden, Valencia, Galicia, Marbella, Peru and Guatemala among others and has undertaken major golf tourism studies for France and Spain.

Peter Walton explained how all of the different elements of the Blueprint interact in the following 10 steps:

THE 10 STEPS

1.- With the requirement for visible results, the objective for tourist board instigated golf tourism strategies must be increased Sales as well as increased Awareness. These twin objectives should be joined at the hip.

2.- Developing a consumer-facing Golf Destination Website is an essential tool of any strategy. IAGTO has developed a site-map formula for such websites. Promotion should not begin until a suitable website is in place.

3.- Content Development must also precede any promotion. The Content Development guides all promotions and provides a focus for the key messages. IAGTO has developed a Backstory concept for golf destinations.

4.- The Content Development informs the Website Content creation and Media Kit development and is a precursor to all Press Releases.

5.- Communications (Public Relations) and Press Trips to generate Editorial and Social Media coverage follow Media Kit completion.

6.- Any Advertising must carry the Key Message and channel interest to the golf destination Website.

7.- The Website Inspires, Informs and Directs the consumer.

8.- Trade Marketing support must be given to the local golf tourism industry and to international golf tour operators, enhancing their own sales and awareness activities and facilitating b2b business.

9.- In return, the local private sector is responsible for Tracking the growth in sales to the destination.

10.- Product Development and Product Packaging remain the domain of the local private sector and result in the overall Product Positioning of the golf destination which then drives all aspects of trade marketing and promotions and has a direct bearing on resultant sales and sustainable growth.

Golf Shows, Golf Turism, Travel

PGA Catalunya – Crowned 2015 Golf Resort of the Year for Europe by IAGTO

Julio-Delgado-y-Miguel-Girbés-Premio-IAGTO-2014

October 31, 2014 – PGA Catalunya Resort has been crowned ‘2015 Golf Resort of the Year for Europe’ by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), the global trade organisation of the golf industry.

The award, which comes as PGA Catalunya Resort celebrates the 15th anniversary of its Stadium Course, is the 20th significant accolade the European Tour Destination has received since it opened to the public in 1999.

Recent recognitions include its ranking as Spain’s No.1 golf course by Top100golfcourses.co.uk for 2012-2015, being voted Best Golf Development in Europe by European Property Awards for 2013-2014, and its listing among the World’s Top 100 Golf Course rankings of Golf World.

This latest distinction was given at the IAGTO Awards Gala Dinner during the 17th International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) in Lake Como, Italy.

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton commented: “It is gratifying to see that PGA Catalunya Resort has gained recognition from IAGTO’s tour operator members as the 2015 Golf Resort of the Year for Europe. It underlines not only how the resort has progressively advanced to take top spot in Spain in the rankings of revered golf publications and websites with major investment in recent years, but also that it continues to embrace its long-standing relationship with golf tour operators and their clients.”

IAGTO-Golf-Resort-of-the-Year,-Europe---PGA-Catalunya-Resort5137x3429

Julio Delgado, CEO of PGA Catalunya Resort, added: “The latest award from IAGTO crowns an incredible 15 years for PGA Catalunya Resort, which has established itself as one of Europe’s finest golf experiences.”

“Our mission has, and will always be, focused on delivering an outstanding and memorable golf experience, while adapting to changing market demands. Whilst we are proud of what we have achieved, we know we are just at the beginning of a very exciting journey, and look forward to many more milestones to come.”

The Golf Resort of the Year Award was voted for by IAGTO’s network of 500+ specialist golf tour operators, from across 61 different countries. Each operator is asked to nominate who they consider to be the best performing golf resort in Europe, North America and the rest of the world in the current year, based on the satisfaction ratings of their golf travelling clients.

In the pictures Julio Delgado, CEO of PGA Catalunya Resort, and Miguel Girbés, Golf General Manager of the Resort, as they receive the award.